Irish Times : Clashes on Edinburgh streets as Bush hints at hard line

international | anti-capitalism | other press

Tuesday July 05, 2005 07:01

by Ortsak

this mornings storys.....

Police and anti-capitalist demonstrators were involved in a series of clashes in Edinburgh yesterday as protests were stepped up across Scotland ahead of tomorrow's G8 summit, writes Carl O'Brien in Edinburgh

A stand-off between groups of police and anarchists forced the closure of some shops and businesses as parts of the city centre were brought to a standstill.

A small number of missiles were thrown and weapons recovered from a hard core of activists, according to police. Despite the disruption, there were no reports of large-scale disorder or arrests; 30 arrests were made by police.

Meanwhile, President Bush has told Britain's Tony Blair to expect no favours at the summit in Gleneagles. Mr Bush said he was not going to G8 with the intention of making his ally, Mr Blair, look bad or good, but "with an agenda that I think is best for our country".

If any emerging consensus on global warming "looks like Kyoto, the answer is 'no'. The Kyoto treaty would have wrecked our economy."

"I think you can grow your economy and at the same time do a better job of harnessing greenhouse gases. That's exactly what I intend to talk to our partners about," he said.

Yesterday's demonstration in Edinburgh, which involved several hundred anarchists in a number of locations across the city, had been billed as the Carnival For Full Enjoyment by the groups who organised it. The demonstrations began peacefully as protesters, banging drums and shaking bells, marched into cordons of police officers, who were determined to keep them away from the city's financial district.

Scuffles broke out when protesters, trapped between lines of police, pushed and jostled officers. A small number of police and demonstrators received minor injuries and were treated in hospital.

The police force, which has been strengthened with officers from across England and Wales, easily outnumbered protesters at various stand-offs across the city.

At a press conference, the assistant chief constable of Lothian and Borders police, Tom Halpin, said a small group had been determined to cause "as much disruption as possible".

He said: "We have always said that we wanted to assist those who wish to make peaceful protest, but in our view it is clear this was never on this group's agenda."

Some protesters, however, said trouble had been caused by overzealous policing. "Imagine, we don't have freedom to move," said one protester. "We're the ones who believe in peace. The police aren't defending democracy. We are. What a waste of money this all is."

The protest involved a number of British-based anarchist groups, including Dissent, which has up to 100 Irish members in Edinburgh.

The main security focus will now switch to Gleneagles. Protesters will be allowed to march near the Gleneagles Hotel, the venue for the summit, which has been ringed by an 8km security fence.